Don’t struggle, silly thing. You’ll only make it worse, he murmured, pulling tools from his bag. The trap was an old model with blunt teeth, more likely to break bones than cut cleanly.
Maxim carefully pried open the metal jaws. The moment the pup was free, it tried to crawl away, but collapsed from exhaustion. You’re not going far, the ranger said, inspecting the injured leg.
There’s no way you’ll survive alone. He looked around. No sign of a mother wolf nearby.
The pup had likely strayed from the pack. Hopes of the family returning were slim. Maxim made a snap decision, one he couldn’t explain later.
He took off his jacket, gently wrapped the trembling pup in it, and headed home. On the way, his fingers touched the shaman’s pouch in his pocket. Baby, this is what the forest meant to tell me, he thought, picking up the pace.
At home, Maxim laid the pup on an old blanket near the stove. He treated the wound and splinted the leg. The animal was too exhausted to resist, only watching him with wary amber eyes.
I know it hurts, Maxim murmured while bandaging the leg. Just hang on, it’ll get better soon. When he finished, he placed a bowl of water and a piece of boiled meat in front of the pup.
Then he lit the fire and sat down on the chair across from his new companion. There, he said, watching the pup lap water cautiously. We’ll live together now.
What should I call you? The pup lifted its head and looked at him as if it understood. Sever, Maxim decided, for your silver grey coat, like the northern sky on a frosty night. He’ll return to the wild anyway once he gets stronger.
Maybe he won’t, Maxim shrugged. He can’t survive in the taiga alone with a paw like that. The wolf pup survived, although at first Maxim had doubts.
Gradually, the animal grew stronger, though he always limped on his front paw. To Maxim’s surprise, Sever didn’t try to run off into the forest, even after he stopped tying him up. Must have realised he can’t survive alone.
Maxim would say when neighbours asked about his unusual pet, some villagers were wary of the wolf at first, keeping their children away from the ranger’s home. But over time, they got used to him. Sever behaved calmly, didn’t touch livestock, and always stayed near Maxim.
When the shaman, Nikolai Semyonovich, saw the wolf, he nodded meaningfully. The Semyons have sent you a protector, Maxim. There’s an old legend, the wolf saved by a man will one day give his life for him.
Oh, come on with those fairy tales, Maxim waved it off, though something inside whispered the old man was right. One winter evening, with the blizzard howling outside and Sever dozing near the stove, Maxim finally opened the leather pouch the shaman had given him. Untying the strings, he spilled its contents into his palm.
An old, time-yellowed fang of a predator. Well, I’ll be, Maxim murmured. It really is a wolf’s.
Sever raised his head, sniffed the air, and approached, pressing his nose to the fang in Maxim’s hand. The ranger could swear he saw something human flicker in the wolf’s eyes. Recognition, understanding, a wisdom ancient and unreachable to man.
You know something, don’t you, Maxim asked softly, scratching behind the wolf’s ear. The beast whimpered as if in reply. By the end of the year, Maxim’s health declined.
Years in the taiga, old wounds, and a lonely life took their toll. His knees ached with weather. His back refused to straighten in the mornings, and his heart often acted up.
Even light effort left him breathless. He no longer visited the far-off winter quarters, spending more time at home, staring out the window at the snowy forest. Sever lay at his feet, head resting on his paws.
In a year, the pup had grown into a large, powerful wolf with thick, grey fur. In December, his daughter Tatyana arrived and was shocked at her father’s condition. That’s it, dad, she declared firmly, after seeing how hard it was for him to rise from a chair.
No more heroics. You’re coming to the city with me. What would I do in the city? Maxim frowned.
Live, she answered bluntly. Get treatment. I’ve got good doctors.
They’ll get you back on your feet. And the house, he asked. We’ll get it to Andre.
Your grandson’s getting married. They’ll need a home. Maxim sighed heavily.
He didn’t want to leave the tiger, but he knew she was right. He no longer had the strength. And the forestry service had been hinting for a while that it was time to retire.
And what about Sever? He nodded at the wolf, who watched the unfamiliar woman warily. Oh, dad, Tatyana pressed her lips together. You can’t bring a beast like that into the city.
He’d have to be put down. Don’t even think about it. Maxim stood from his chair, outraged.
He’s family. I’ll ask Andre to look after him. Tatyana shook her head but didn’t argue.
Maxim agreed to move only if Sever would be safe. A week later, Andre arrived with his fiancée, Irina. A strong 25-year-old who’d worked in the Irkutsk emergency services, Andre reminded many of his grandfather in his youth.
Irina was a slender, fair-haired elementary school teacher with warm brown eyes and a gentle smile. Sosnovka hasn’t changed a bit, Andre said, walking around the house he hadn’t seen in years. Remember, grandpa, when you took me hunting? I remember, Maxim smiled.